10 Video Games Where You Were The Bad Guy All Along

We all know Ken Levine’s ocean utopia-turned-apocalypse title was a seminal effort of the 360/PS3 generation,  but nailing down the exact aspect that made it such a classic leaves one to ponder multiple elements.

There is the dense, layered world. The enthralling atmosphere. FPS shooting mixed with satisfying RPG powers (when no one had thought to do it). But... who can forget that third-act switch? A narrative swerve that verged on Bruce Willis-is-a-ghost level gobsmacker.

From the jump, the gamer is pulled into the hellish (yet gorgeous) Rapture, an underwater city now filled with drug-addled psychos, as the mute main character shoots, puzzles, and fireballs his way through the tense but fascinating environments. The player is guided by Ryan, a warmly Gaelic NPC who directs them through this dangerous world, hands out enough exposition to fill a bathtub, and always seems to have the best interests at heart. 

Except he doesn’t… at all.

In a clever narrative shift, it’s revealed that Ryan is actually Atlas, the main villain behind the whole shebang. Not only that, but he’s been mind-controlling the player into doing his bidding with the simple phrase “Would you kindly?”. It was a sucker punch for a gaming generation, not to mention subverting the default trust factor we have for “the guy on the phone” roles in video games.